Past is past, but Umno delegates want PAS to prove it can be different

At the Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur, discussions centered on renewing cooperation between Umno and PAS, with leaders advocating for a pragmatic approach to past rivalries.

Umno's president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, proposed a "Grand Collaboration" to prioritize common political interests while maintaining each party's identity.

Veteran members like Muhammad Awang emphasize the importance of compromise and avoiding past mistakes to foster Malay-Muslim unity.

The delegates highlighted that rebuilding trust requires clear expectations and an understanding of the need for stability amid Malaysia's political landscape.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Beside one of the ministry booths at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Muhammad Awang stood with a friend and picked up a copy of Utusan Malaysia from a pile laid out for delegates as others milled around the Umno general assembly.

At 68, the Umno Kuala Krai division secretary has seen the party’s relationship with PAS shift from cooperation to rivalry and back again.

But as Umno now looks to forge a fresh understanding with its former political rival, Muhammad believes the past should not stand in the way of trying again.

“We have to put aside our respective egos. We have to be big-hearted,” he told Malay Mail on the sidelines of the assembly here.

Muhammad said any renewed cooperation between Umno and PAS would require both sides to make compromises, particularly over the allocation of seats in the next election.

“If it is Kelantan, we should give it to Umno. Elsewhere, we should also give seats to PAS. Let it be balanced,” he said.

His comments came as Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called for greater political understanding between the country’s existing political coalitions in his speech at the assembly this morning.

Zahid revived his proposal for a “Grand Collaboration”, which he said was not about merging political parties but creating an understanding to avoid political clashes that could be damaging to all sides.

He described the political understanding as one based on prioritising common interests, respecting differences in ideology and identity, and practising tolerance and flexibility.

But he also stressed that political partners must not betray one another, warning against building an understanding during the day while plotting to bring down a partner at night.

For Muhammad, that warning is particularly relevant given Umno and PAS’ previous experience under Muafakat Nasional.

“Umno and PAS had Muafakat Nasional before, but it never reached the stage of being translated into an election. We did not have the chance to see it through.

“So we do not want to split for a second time. We have been separated several times and we do not want to be bitten by the same snake in the same hole,” he said.

Still, Muhammad said the previous breakdown should not prevent both parties from trying again.

He said both sides would need to put aside their egos and be willing to make concessions for the sake of Malay-Muslim unity.

For him, that meant accepting that neither side could expect to get everything it wanted, including when deciding which party should contest certain seats.

An Umno Kuala Lumpur delegate in his 60s, who declined to be named, similarly said PAS’ previous political decisions should be treated as a lesson rather than an obstacle to future cooperation.

“This is politics. We should do whatever can benefit Umno,” he said.

Muhammad acknowledged that there had been what he described as many instances of betrayal, including PAS previously discussing Malay-Muslim unity with Umno before choosing to work with other political partners.

But he said he personally believed Umno and PAS should work together in the next general election.

“If we are divided, we are not strong. So I see this as a good step towards making the Malays and Muslims strong again,” he said.

Asked whether the past should now be left behind, he replied: “Yes, exactly. It is a lesson.”

He said he hoped the relationship now being built between Umno and PAS would not repeat the problems of their previous alliances.

The willingness to move on, however, does not appear to mean delegates have forgotten what happened before.

For Shah Zanuriman Nuar Paras Khan, 40, the Selayang Umno Youth chief, rebuilding trust would require both sides to be clear about what they expect from one another.

“To avoid being betrayed, there needs to be a spirit of camaraderie, loyalty, mutual understanding and clear boundaries,” he said.

Shah added that the same stability delegates were looking for within Umno could also be important if the party were to work with other political partners.

“There are all sorts of disputes between the other parties. Bersatu is falling apart, then there are cracks here and there, and they are constantly fighting.

“Umno, meanwhile, remains stable. So I think that is what makes the people see Umno as remaining stable and maintaining its own momentum. There are no internal fights, no Camp A or Camp B, nothing like that.

“So perhaps the people are looking for stability amid an uncertain economic situation, and they see Umno as more stable than the other parties,” he said.

That balance between forgiveness and caution was also reflected in Zahid’s speech, where his call for political understanding was accompanied by a warning that agreements must be honoured.

The Umno president said political cooperation should allow parties to preserve their own identities, stressing that “Umno remains Umno” and “Barisan Nasional remains Barisan Nasional”.

For delegates like Muhammad, that may be the basis on which a new relationship with PAS can be built: not by pretending the past did not happen, but by deciding it should not dictate what comes next.

After years of political shifts between the two parties, he said it was time to try again with a more carefully negotiated understanding.

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在吉隆坡举行的巫统大会上，讨论的重点是恢复巫统和伊斯兰党之间的合作，领导人主张以务实的态度对待过去的竞争。

巫统主席艾哈迈德·扎希德·哈米迪提议进行“大合作”，以优先考虑共同的政治利益，同时保持各党派的身份。

像穆罕默德·阿旺这样的资深成员强调妥协和避免重蹈覆辙对于促进马来穆斯林团结的重要性。

与会代表强调，重建信任需要明确的期望，以及对马来西亚当前政治形势下保持稳定的必要性的理解。

吉隆坡，9月11日讯——在吉隆坡世界贸易中心的一个政府部门展位旁，穆罕默德·阿旺和一位朋友站在那里，从摆放在会场的一堆报纸中拿起一份《马来西亚前锋报》，而其他人则在巫统大会周围熙熙攘攘。

现年 68 岁的巫统瓜拉吉赖区部秘书见证了该党与伊斯兰党的关系从合作到竞争，再到合作的转变。

但随着巫统寻求与昔日的政治对手建立新的谅解，穆罕默德认为过去的事情不应该阻碍双方再次尝试。

“我们必须放下各自的自尊，要胸怀宽广，”他在议会间隙接受《马来邮报》采访时说道。

穆罕默德表示，巫统和伊斯兰党之间任何重新合作都需要双方做出妥协，尤其是在下次选举的席位分配方面。

“如果是吉兰丹州，我们就应该把席位给巫统。其他地方，我们也应该给伊斯兰党分配席位。这样才能保持平衡。”他说道。

他的这番评论是在巫统主席拿督斯里阿末扎希今天上午在国会发表讲话，呼吁该国现有政治联盟之间加强政治理解之后发表的。

扎希德重提了他的“大合作”提议，他说这并非是要合并政党，而是为了达成共识，避免可能对各方都造成损害的政治冲突。

他将这种政治理解描述为：优先考虑共同利益，尊重意识形态和身份认同的差异，并践行宽容和灵活。

但他还强调，政治伙伴绝不能互相背叛，警告不要白天建立谅解，晚上却密谋扳倒伙伴。

对于穆罕默德来说，鉴于巫统和伊斯兰党在国民共识下的经验，这一警告尤其具有现实意义。

“巫统和伊斯兰党之前有过‘全民共识’，但它从未真正落实到选举阶段。我们没有机会看到它最终成功。”

“所以我们不想再次分裂。我们已经分开好几次了，我们不想在同一个洞里被同一条蛇咬伤，”他说。

不过，穆罕默德表示，之前的破裂不应阻止双方再次尝试。

他表示，双方都需要放下个人成见，为了马来穆斯林团结而做出让步。

对他来说，这意味着要接受双方都不能指望得到自己想要的一切，包括在决定哪个政党应该竞选某些席位时。

一位不愿透露姓名的60多岁的巫统吉隆坡代表也表示，伊斯兰党之前的政治决定应该被视为教训，而不是未来合作的障碍。

“这就是政治。我们应该做任何有利于巫统的事情，”他说。

穆罕默德承认，曾发生过许多他所说的背叛事件，包括伊斯兰党此前曾与巫统讨论马来穆斯林团结，之后却选择与其他政治伙伴合作。

但他表示，他个人认为巫统和伊斯兰党应该在下次大选中合作。

“如果我们分裂，我们就不会强大。所以我认为这是让马来人和穆斯林再次强大起来的好一步，”他说。

当被问及是否应该将过去抛诸脑后时，他回答说：“是的，正是如此。这是一个教训。”

他表示，希望巫统和伊斯兰党之间正在建立的关系不会重蹈覆辙，再次出现他们以前联盟中出现的问题。

然而，这种向前看的意愿似乎并不意味着代表们已经忘记了以前发生的事情。

40岁的士拉央巫统青年团团长沙扎努里曼·努亚·帕拉斯·汗认为，重建信任需要双方明确彼此的期望。

他说：“为了避免被背叛，需要有同志情谊、忠诚、相互理解和明确界限的精神。”

沙阿补充说，巫统代表们在巫统内部寻求的稳定性，如果该党要与其他政治伙伴合作，也可能非常重要。

“其他各方之间存在各种各样的争端。土著团结党正在分崩离析，内部也出现了裂痕，他们一直在争斗。”

“与此同时，巫统保持稳定。所以我认为，这正是人们认为巫统能够保持稳定并维持自身发展势头的原因。巫统内部没有争斗，没有A派系或B派系，什么都没有。”

他说：“所以，或许人们在不确定的经济形势下寻求稳定，他们认为巫统比其他政党更稳定。”

扎希德的演讲也体现了宽恕与谨慎之间的平衡，他在呼吁政治理解的同时，也警告说必须遵守协议。

巫统主席表示，政治合作应该允许各政党保持各自的身份，并强调“巫统仍然是巫统”，“国民阵线仍然是国民阵线”。

对于像穆罕默德这样的代表来说，这或许是与PAS建立新关系的基础：不是假装过去没有发生过，而是决定过去不应该决定未来。

他表示，经过两党多年的政治博弈，现在是时候通过更谨慎的谈判达成共识，再次尝试了。

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